Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists (IACP), an umbrella body of Clinical Psychologists in India organised its 47th National Annual Conference on virtual platform last week. Dr K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India inaugurated the conference as the Chief Guest. Lt Gen Nardeep Naithani, Director and Commandant was the Guest of honour during the inauguration of the conference. The conference featured noted speakers from worldover including eminent psychological science scholars, Dr David D Burns from Stanford University’s School of Medicine, Dr Andrea Chronis-Toscano president of the International Society for research in child and adolescent psychology, Dr Susan Howard a well-known psychoanalyst and founder of the interpersonal psychotherapy centre at the University of Surrey and Dr Debbie Joffe Ellis, Columbia University. Indian Scholars of repute delivered invited lectures. Dr SL Vaya, Director of the School of Criminology and Behavioural Sciences (SCBS) at Rashtriya Raksha University, Lt Gen Madhuri Kanitkar were among the distinguished speakers. Panel discussions addressed the challenges that clinical psychologists face during delivery of mental health in India, tele-medicine and how psychologists themselves are in need of healing during the pandemic second wave. Other topics that were covered ranged from positive psychology, forensic psychology, neuropsychology to psychotherapy training and supervision in India.
The three-day programme was concluded by Padmashree Dr Mohan Agashe, a renowned psychiatrist and famed stage/film actor presenting his views and addressing the Professionals. Dr Kavita Narayan, the technical advisor, HRH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave her insight on mental health related initiatives. Dr Kalpana Srivastava, President, IACP a senior scientist from DRDO posted at Department of Psychiatry, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune took the challenge of organising online conference at a time when the demand for tele-counselling& therapy is at its peak due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. The delivery of mental health care has become front and centre of health discussions worldwide. Dr. Kalpana Srivastava, President, IACP, Gen Sec, Dr Manoj Bajaj of IACP have led the Association’s unique effort to make participation free of cost to senior citizen clinical psychologists and at a token fee of Rs 100 for everyone else keeping in mind the stressors faced in testing times. The deliberations during the conference provided a highly interactive and educative platform to the participants.